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S M T W T F S
     
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Syndication

John Voris educates about the very things that make us tick, the roots that
make for success or failure in our work, relationships and personal well-being.
John is a philosopher, writer and a psychological researcher. John earned his
degree from the University of California with a degree in Philosophy.
“Discover the Power That Drives Your Personality” is the result of over 20
years of application and another 16 years of research. By applying European
discoveries into field application involving hundreds of sales prospects, John invented a groundbreaking approach to personal inquiry that revealed a person’s life motivation and authentic design
far beyond sales.
He discovered that our drive for personal Happiness, Meaning, Purpose and Harmony manifest the
hidden power beneath our observed personality

Direct download: TSE_1309.mp3
Category:Sales Language, Authentic Identity -- posted at: 12:00am EDT

How to Double Your Cold-Calling Contacts

 

Cold-calling has always been part of the sales process. Many salespeople can struggle with this aspect of the job but it’s a critical part of gaining new prospects. The more you call, the greater the odds that they will turn into great leads. 

 

David Walter ran a call center for thirteen years and is currently a coach. He is also the author of the book, The Million Dollar Rebuttal and Stratospheric Lead Generation Secrets. David also worked with the American Bank i, and then helped his father sell million-dollar HVAC equipment. The recession then hit, however, and David had to look for another job. 

 

David reads a lot as part of his training and personal development. He credits his exposure to quality books as being a catalyst to the life he has today.  With the culmination of his experience and knowledge, David has been able to revolutionize the concept of cold-calling from the ground up. 

 

Mistakes salespeople make

David did training with SDRs in Plano and made a video series to help them learn more about cold-calling. When they were doing their calls, however, they were just calling the wrong numbers and weren’t getting anywhere. They weren’t able to make any useful contacts. Based on a study, 70% of contact information is incorrect and 55% of the people you call may not be available to talk to. These “dead” numbers can eat up a sales rep’s valuable hours. However, David assures us all is not lost. 

 

During David’s years in the call center he was always on the hunt for the perfect list. The lists were supposed to be verified but he found that it wasn’t the case. He learned his lesson and decided to release the idea of a perfect list. Instead, he opted for a basic format with the names of the companies and put it in a simple CRM like Crmble. He also developed a script that he still uses to get “gatekeepers” to provide needed information. He did this by listening to natural calls and getting back to the basics.  

 

For example, David used to work with a distributorship and it involved him answering calls. He noticed that if a person just used a first name when asking for a contact, the caller sounded more confident and there was an air of authority and familiarity that he’d immediately respond to. David realized he could use this “first name” technique to qualify contacts. 

Ask the basic questions first

David also observed that people often have an easier time if you ease them into answering a series of questions.Confirming an address is an easy way to get someone to open up. Ask your way into more information little by little.  

 

David will typically start at LinkedIn when qualifying a new company.  Oftentimes, LinkedIn has the most updated information about the company name and can access a list of employees to know who he should call. 

 

Cold-calling is not a numbers game

Many sales people perceive cold-calling as the hardest part of the job. In truth, cold-calling can be at the same level as other activities if looked at in the right way. With anything worth doing, it may seem hard at first but with practice and the right instruction, it becomes easier. 

 

In Will Smith’s movie, The Pursuit of Happiness, Will’s character didn’t call his list from top to bottom. What he did was skip names and call randomly. While Walter Ribbon didn’t buy from Will, he got invited to a game where Will Smith was able to build a network with important people. Just know that if your goal is to make an appointment with 15 people, you need to call at least 40 people. 

 

Qualifying your data

Qualifying data is important so sales people aren’t wasting their time. The key to cold-calling is to keep calling the companies at least three to four times a day within 3-4 days. Sales reps hesitate to do this because they’re afraid of burning the list but if you do it the right way,this can be avoided. The way not to burn your list is to make your calls short and as natural as possible.    

 

In addition to using the first name method,  don’t leave a voicemail. Leaving a voicemail can be the cause of burning a list. Keep your call short and sweet and change your opening with each call. 

 

The other strategy David uses is, “Hey, I’m calling for Donald but he’s probably gone for the day.” David mimics a negative attitude that most gatekeepers have and uses it to position them to offer something positive.  They will often want to counteract the negativity.

 

Give that chill attitude 

David also discovered that the less you seem to care, the more people will give you what you need. You don’t want to sound desperate over the phone. With a more laid back attitude you will be more likely to talk to the person you want to talk to.




Prospects may not have needs 

Most prospects don’t actually believe  they need to change. Looking for prospects who know their needs can be like looking for a needle in a haystack yet this is what salespeople are looking for. What can you do as a sales rep? You can realize they are not saying No, they’re saying that they are comfortable with what they have; however, that doesn’t rule out the possibility they need to make a change. 

 

The Power Habit book talked about a remarkable story about Febreze. When it was first launched , the product failed even though it was a good one. They sent researchers out to figure out the reason why. They visited one homeowner with cats in her house. When they entered the house, the putrid smell of cats overwhelmed them. Despite the homeowner using the product, however, the scent remained. The problem was the homeowner couldn’t smell it because she’d gotten used to the smell of her own cats. Prospects can be like these cat owners. They are so used to the same process, they don’t even smell a problem anymore. Your job is to reveal a better alternative and offer something better. Even when they are happy with what they have, you can still offer improvements.

 

How to Double Your Cold-Calling Contacts” episode resources

Reach out to David Walter via his LinkedIn account. You can also read his books to understand cold-calling more! 

If you are interested in more sales stories, you can talk to Donald directly. Reach him via these channels: LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook about any sales concerns. 

This episode is brought to you in part by Crmble, the easy-peasy CRM for Trello that helps you manage your contacts and leads without investing in complicated solutions, sync all your data, manage custom fields, and get powerful reporting on your sales. Try Crmble now for free at www.crmble.com/tse. This course is also brought to you in part by TSE Certified Sales Training Program. It’s a course designed to help new and struggling sellers to master the fundamentals of sales and close more deals. It will help them elevate their sales game. Sign up now and get the first two modules for free! You can go and visit www.thesalesevangelist.com/closemoredeals also call us at (561) 570-5077. 

We’d love for you to join us for our next episodes so tune in on Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Stitcher, and Spotify. You can also leave comments, suggestions, and ratings to every episode you listen to. 

You can also read more about sales or listen to audiobooks on Audible and explore this huge online library. Register now to get a free book and a 30-day free trial. 

Audio provided by Free SFX and Bensound. Other songs used in the episodes are as follows: The Organ Grinder written by Bradley Jay Hill, performed by Bright Seed, and Produced by Brightseed and Hill.

Direct download: TSE_1308.mp3
Category:cold-calling, prospecting -- posted at: 12:00am EDT

How To Get Cold Prospects To Genuinely Listen

 

Every call to a prospect provides an opportunity to get a sale. Your job is to move the odds in your favor and you do this about strategizing the right approach in that initial call. With the right preparation, your prospects will genuinely want to listen to what you have to say.  

 

About 25% of the phone calls you make are answered by the person you are reaching out to. Now that you have them on the phone, however, what do you say to maintain their interest? In cold-calling,  every second matters, every word matters. In this episode, Donald will offer tips on how to excel in cold-calling by grabbing your prospects’ attention, and eventually make an appointment and hopefully, a sale. 

 

Grab your prospects’ interest

Cold-calling can be difficult and when you let your nerves get the best of you you can end up rambling. Before you know it, they’ve hung up on you. You need to do what you can to ensure the call is successful and a lot of that success is going to be based on how you prepare long before the call happens. 

 

If you are getting to talk to people only 25% of the time,  the other 75% of your time is spent going straight to voicemail so don’t waste that opportunity! You can still leave an interesting message for them to listen to. Donald learned that there are two things people want to know - your identity and purpose. Human beings have a primal need to know if someone is friend or foe. Prospects can get very defensive the moment they perceive they are part of a cold call.  As a salesperson himself, Donald is one who listens and engages in conversation and sometimes, he provides tips as well. Donal would always give them the benefit of the doubt but he is more the exception than the rule.  

 

Putting yourself in their shoes

When making cold calls, put yourself in their shoes. Think about what might be on their minds at that moment. If they don’t know you, the person answering the phone will wonder who you are and why you’re calling. In this scenario, Donald employs the POR strategy or Point of Reference. Everyone you’re calling will automatically distinguish and categorize you as either a friend or a foe depending on your initial statement. Your job is to give them a point of reference to extend the conversation. 



Using a referral

One way to provide a point of reference is a referral. For example, Donald wants to call an organization  about sales training. In that first call, he’ll  ask to speak to someone in the finance department.  Once he’s connected he then asks that person who is in charge of their sales training. Once he’s given the name, he asks this initial contact if it’s okay to use their name as a reference. Let’s say Donald is prospecting Dave Smith.  After he calls finance, he calls Dave saying, “Hey Dave, Megan from Finance told me to connect with you about sales training.” Dave will now give Donald the time because he knows Megan, Donald’s point of reference. Dave from sales training is now willing to listen to Donald and hear his proposal.

 

Connecting via LinkedIn

Another point of reference you can use is by initially connecting to your prospect through LinkedIn or some other platform before you make the first call. You can send them an email or  private message. Once this is done, you can open the call with, “Hey Linda, we connected on LinkedIn last week...” This prompts Linda to look at her messages to find you and if your message is well done, your odds are much better that Linda will take the time to listen to you.  

 

Donald had this experience recently. He connected with a prospect on LinkedIn and shared her content because it resonated with him. When Donald made the phone call to her, he was able to mention that particular reference of him sharing the post. They had a good dialogue and their conversation went on for some time. 

 

Through LinkedIn profiles, you can find several other points of reference as well: company content, interests,  hobbies, books they are reading - you can use all these things to build common ground. 

 

The challenge

Think about three different points of reference  you can use in your outreach. Introduce yourself and then drop your point of reference. 

 

How To Get Cold Prospects To Genuinely Listen” episode resources

Share your points of reference with Donald. If you are interested in more sales stories, you can talk to Donald directly. Reach him via these channels: LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook about any sales concerns. 

This episode is brought to you in part by Crmble, the easy-peasy CRM for Trello that helps you manage your contacts and leads without investing in complicated solutions, sync all your data, manage custom fields, and get powerful reporting on your sales. Try Crmble now for free at www.crmble.com/tse. This episode is also partially brought to you by Thought Pattern for High-Performance Sales Professionals. It’s a newer course and partnership with the Pacific Insititute. 



This course is also brought to you in part by TSE Certified Sales Training Program. It’s a course designed to help new and struggling sellers to master the fundamentals of sales and close more deals. It will help them elevate their sales game. Sign up now and get the first two modules for free! You can go and visit www.thesalesevangelist.com/closemoredeals also call us at (561) 570-5077. 

We’d love for you to join us for our next episodes so tune in on Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Stitcher, and Spotify. You can also leave comments, suggestions, and ratings to every episode you listen to. 

You can also read more about sales or listen to audiobooks on Audible and explore this huge online library. Register now to get a free book and a 30-day free trial. 

Audio provided by Free SFX and Bensound. Other songs used in the episodes are as follows: The Organ Grinder written by Bradley Jay Hill, performed by Bright Seed, and Produced by Brightseed and Hill.

Direct download: TSE_1307.mp3
Category:cold-calling, prospecting -- posted at: 12:00am EDT

How To Lead A Team of SDRs and BDRs During Challenging Times

These recent times have been tough for sales leaders. There’s a lot to be done, but if you have a team of SDRs and BDRs in these challenging times, you can still guide them toward success. Let’s talk about that in this episode. 

 

Asa Hochhauser has been in sales for 15 years primarily leading startups, both as an individual contributor and as a sales manager. He is currently busy helping sales enterprises, from small to mid-market businesses, and he is leading a sales academy where they are experiencing a lot of growth as people look for more training. 

 

Challenges in leading a team

Keeping the team motivated is often the biggest challenge a sales manager can face. It’s difficult to keep up team spirit and focus on helping other companies. It’s also equally challenging to ensure that the SDRs and BDRs are doing the right thing when it comes to disseminating information and providing value. Sometimes, salespeople are so focused on learning about the product their attention is diverted away from solving buyer problems.

 

Planning ahead 

As Abraham Lincoln said, “Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe.” Sending emails and calling on a daily basis is still a priority but these activities have to be modified to accommodate the change brought about by the improvement of technology and computers. Asa always encourages his team to spend time understanding their ideal customers or buyers and segmenting them. Asa is also seeing to it that they are keeping their outbound in motion and encourages his team to plan for the next day. These are all done based on marketing-generated outbound.  Asa’s team understands that when they plan ahead they’re not wasting valuable time that can be used on making actual contacts. They come to the office prepared with the set of activities that ensures productive time in the office. 

 

Leads coming in

For Asa’s team, their marketing-generated leads are coming in based on events or content that people are engaging with. They also have a list from Discover.org based on the content they’re creating. Platforms like LinkedIn, CRM, and SalesForce have also been effective tools.

 

There are a lot of ways that businesses can get their list of prospects but Asa cautions that these platforms can also become a distraction. This is why planning is imperative. Your team will know which platform they should focus on but don’t spend so much time there that they move away from the business of selling. This was a lesson that Asa learned from his first sales experience. Activity is important and planning, even more. 

 

Hustle despite the challenges

BDRs and SDRs should always incorporate channels where their buyers are. As sales reps, we should be leading with value and empathy when reaching out to  potential buyers. It’s not about asking them for appointments right out of the gate. In today’s market, conversations are started by providing the insight and  value that will be helpful to the buyer.

 

For Asa’s team, their approach is to personalize contact based on the prospect they are trying to connect with. For example, they might send a helpful article highlighting  ideas in the article that the buyer needs. This empathetic approach is all the more important with heightened isolation. Their approach has been adapted to focus more on the challenge brought about by the pandemic. SDRs and BDRs would do well to focus on the needs that their clients and prospects are facing and learn more about their problems.  Do this well before you mention your company’s name or product so you can personalize your solutions. Personalization is so important in today’s climate.

 

The human touch is more important than ever.  Be genuine and let your personality shine. #SaleInTimeofCOVID

 

Improving personalization

BDRs and SDRs need to spend time doing their research. It’s important you understand the company you are trying to approach. Start by going to the bio profile or the company profile to know the people you want to talk to. Read what your buyers are reading. This common ground goes a long way in making a connection.

 

Another way to improve personalization is by providing solutions for pain points. Just ensure your messaging is centered on the person you’re talking to. Having a genuine approach is effective and so important. 

 

Even in these hard times, be grateful you are still a sales rep and a member of a team. This means you still have a job and with that, you have an opportunity to make a difference. 

 

“How To Lead A Team of SDRs and BDRs During Challenging Times” episode resources 

Reach out to Asa Hochhauser via his LinkedIn. If you enjoyed this episode, drop us a comment below! 

If you are interested in more sales stories, you can talk to Donald directly. Reach him via these channels: LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook about any sales concerns. 

This episode is brought to you in part by Crmble, the easy-peasy CRM for Trello that helps you manage your contacts and leads without investing in complicated solutions, sync all your data, manage custom fields, and get powerful reporting on your sales. Try Crmble now for free at www.crmble.com/tse. This course is also brought to you in part by TSE Certified Sales Training Program. It’s a course designed to help new and struggling sellers to master the fundamentals of sales and close more deals. It will help them elevate their sales game. Sign up now and get the first two modules for free! You can go and visit www.thesalesevangelist.com/closemoredeals also call us at (561) 570-5077. 

We’d love for you to join us for our next episodes so tune in on Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Stitcher, and Spotify. You can also leave comments, suggestions, and ratings to every episode you listen to. 

You can also read more about sales or listen to audiobooks on Audible and explore this huge online library. Register now to get a free book and a 30-day free trial. 

Audio provided by Free SFX and Bensound. Other songs used in the episodes are as follows: The Organ Grinder written by Bradley Jay Hill, performed by Bright Seed, and Produced by Brightseed and Hill.

Direct download: TSE_1306.mp3
Category:BDR, SDR, Personalization -- posted at: 12:00am EDT

Building Good Habits In Sales

Salespeople need to build good habits to excel in their careers and close more deals. There is an abundance of training materials, books, and seminars to become the salespeople we want to be. In this episode, we will talk about moving from being a salesperson to becoming a sales professional. 

 

Mark Evans has been a salesperson all his life, starting with his parents’ small business, practicing being a salesperson. After finishing college, he got back into sales. Now, Mark has a sales consultancy where he helps companies build their sales playbook. He teaches disciplined actions that can be used daily. These actions focus on the craft of selling long before the first meeting. This is the respect prospects deserve. 

 

Respecting the prospects

The key differential between salespeople and being a sales professional is the level they hone their craft and prepare for each meeting. A true sales professional won’t practice in front of their prospects. 

Sales professionals are intrigued by perfecting their craft. They are disciplined in their approach and practice their questions so that when it’s game time, they are at their best. They’ve put in the practice. 

 

There’s a difference between a salesperson and a sales professional. The difference is practice and craft. #SalesProfessional

 

Level of preparation

The chef at a restaurant shows up hours before the kitchen opens to ensure everything is prepped, fresh, and prepared properly. They do this to offer their best to the customers.

The same should be true in sales. Even before you see your customer, do your research, identify your ideal customer, and understand the most current problems they’re facing. Have empathy for their circumstances and be ready with solutions. That level of preparation will uplevel you from salesperson to sales professional. 

 

Facing the challenge 

Yes, preparation takes time and effort. Mark employs a strategy with his clients called The Triangle Three people come together for a meeting and take turns role playing as the salesperson, the prospect, and the observer. As they take turns they practice various sales scenarios and objections while offering feedback. 

 

Sales managers can help foster a culture of excellence by allowing time for practice and taking action toward sales goals. 

Building good habits

Building good habits can be a challenge and with so many people working from home, there are even more distractions:  Social media, household chores, binge TV, family, etc. For Mark, the first thing that’s necessary for building good habits is your end goal in mind.

 

Setting your big goals 

As a sales professional, it would be beneficial to set five big goals and keep them with you. Your big goals can be a combination of personal goals, professional goals, and family goals. When you have your big goals, break them down into actionable chunks that you can achieve by month, by week, by day, and even smaller as it’s helpful for focus.

 

Accountability

It is also good to have some level of accountability. You need to develop a scorecard for yourself to keep track of your progress. One tool that Mark suggests is writing out a check to an organization you don’t support.  Give it to a friend who will deposit the check if you don’t achieve the goal in the time you’ve allotted. This can help you get laser focused. 

 

Be honest with yourself

It’s imperative salespeople are honest, especially to themselves. Examine whether or not you are truly willing to make the changes that are necessary to get to your goals. Are your goals big enough to make you change? Ask yourself what it’s going to take you for you to make a phone call when you don’t want to. Set a goal that inspires you and inspires the people around you.

 

Take action everyday

Take daily action that will move you into daily habits. Mark suggests for salespeople to do The Power Hour. This is 60 minutes you dedicate to your goals.  (If you can do more than one power hour, great, just work for 50 minutes and take a break or enjoy a reward for 10 minutes.)  For salespeople, this 60 minutes could mean picking up the phone and prospecting. Just do it sooner than later because it’s a great launch to your day. 

 

Team meetings

Sales managers, team meetings are important but consider setting aside one day a week where there are no meetings. Dedicate this day to allowing your team to concentrate on their projects and clients.

 

Building Good Habits In Sales” episode resources 

Work the power hour and really concentrate on your goals. You can also check out Mark’s book called Raise Your Standards: The Definitive Guide to Building Seven-Figure Sales. Reach out to Mark Evans via his LinkedIn or his website. 

If you are interested in more sales stories, you can talk to Donald directly. Reach him via these channels: LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook about any sales concerns. 

This episode is brought to you in part by Crmble, the easy-peasy CRM for Trello that helps you manage your contacts and leads without investing in complicated solutions, sync all your data, manage custom fields, and get powerful reporting on your sales. Try Crmble now for free at www.crmble.com/tse. This course is also brought to you in part by TSE Certified Sales Training Program. It’s a course designed to help new and struggling sellers to master the fundamentals of sales and close more deals. It will help them elevate their sales game. Sign up now and get the first two modules for free! You can go and visit www.thesalesevangelist.com/closemoredeals also call us at (561) 570-5077. 

We’d love for you to join us for our next episodes so tune in on Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Stitcher, and Spotify. You can also leave comments, suggestions, and ratings to every episode you listen to. 

You can also read more about sales or listen to audiobooks on Audible and explore this huge online library. Register now to get a free book and a 30-day free trial. 

Audio provided by Free SFX and Bensound. Other songs used in the episodes are as follows: The Organ Grinder written by Bradley Jay Hill, performed by Bright Seed, and Produced by Brightseed and Hill.

Direct download: TSE_1305.mp3
Category:Sales habits, Sales professionals -- posted at: 12:00am EDT

How To Generate Interest In Lost Opportunities 

 

Every so often, a prior interest doesn’t end with a good close. Sometimes, there are lost opportunities. As a salesperson, how do you generate interest in lost opportunities? Today’s episode will talk about how you can turn “trash” to treasure! 

 

Have you experienced winning a deal that came from a lost opportunity? How did you do it? Leave a comment below! 

 

Defining lost opportunity

Imagine this sales scenario: You are moving through the sales process with a new prospect and he/she is very excited to work with you. For some reason, however, before you get a chance to close the prospect loses interest. You’re not alone. A study from HubSpot shows that almost half the deals are lost due to budget and the other half is because of timing. Other reasons for a loss of interest are as follows are because of the lack of the prospect’s authority, no time to review or wanting more time to review the deal, and lack of urgency. Your deal became a back-burner item and it just fizzled out. Being diligent, you reach out multiple times but eventually decide that you can’t waste anymore time and move on. At that point, you label the deal as a lost opportunity and end it. Think about all those deals and lost opportunities. Could there be treasure in that trash?

 

YES! There is. 

 

A lost opportunity

One company thought The Sales Evangelist was a lost opportunity. Donald’s sales team had used a particular software and actually liked it. With changes happening in the TSE organization and the pandemic,however, they didn’t get to use the software as much and canceled the service. In this case, Donald was already a customer but canceled the service to focus resources on more immediate needs.

 

Due to Covid-19, the software company wasn’t doing too well. Luckily, one member of their team figured out a way to move through it by looking at the list of people who had canceled their subscription. The company figured these cancelations were customers who, at one point, saw the value of their product. They asked themselves how they could re-generate interest and get these customers back.

 

Donald was one of the customers they reached out to. In one of Donald’s previous podcasts, he talked about making an offer so good, the prospects can’t refuse. Through that email, Donald got an offer he couldn’t refuse. The software hadn’t been overly expensive when he was their customer, costing $50/month, but the email invited Donald to come back at 50% off, $25/month, for 6 months. Donald was happy to accept the offer. 

 

Had the software company focused on looking for new business alone, they would have had to educate new clients about their software and convince people to use their software.  It would have been a much harder uphill battle. Instead, they had the wisdom to  focus on the people who had already shown some loyalty. While it took some work to bring these customers back, it was far less than what it would have taken to look for new clients altogether. 

 

Generate more deals

Visit your CRM and look out for lost opportunities. Do your research and understand why they became lost opportunities. It is best if you know why they dropped your service and address the reasons why these customers dropped their accounts. There are many different ways you can spark their interest again: 

  • Offer a smaller package with an opportunity to scale up in the coming months. 
  • Offer a service or solution that will help them solve a new or current problem. 
  • Offer smaller modules. 

 

All you need to do is be creative to ensure that you are offering great customer service while reinvigorating your accounts. 

 

It’s easier to reinvigorate customers who’ve left you than it is to train a new customer. #SalesCustomer

 

Understand the timing

Remember that 25% of deals fall away due to bad timing and reasons will vary.As a salesperson, you want to be sensitive to the reasons why the timing might be wrong. Look at accounts at least three months after they decide to drop the service. This is generally enough time for your clients to self-correct any issues that may have prevented them from working with you further. 

 

Urgency

When you offer a discounted deal, let the prospect know it is only good for a limited amount of time to create some urgency. 

 

Even if your customers aren’t ready to sign on again, at least you’ve been able to touch base and get your company in front of them.

 

Salespeople should be looking at the next deal but in times like these, it’s great to revisit previous accounts as well. Get ready to go on a treasure hunt! 

 

How To Generate Interest In Lost Opportunities” episode resources 

If you are interested in more sales stories, you can talk to Donald directly. Reach him via these channels: LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook about any sales concerns. 

This episode is brought to you in part by Crmble, the easy-peasy CRM for Trello that helps you manage your contacts and leads without investing in complicated solutions, sync all your data, manage custom fields, and get powerful reporting on your sales. Try Crmble now for free at www.crmble.com/tse. This course is also brought to you in part by TSE Certified Sales Training Program. It’s a course designed to help new and struggling sellers to master the fundamentals of sales and close more deals. It will help them elevate their sales game. Sign up now and get the first two modules for free! You can go and visit www.thesalesevangelist.com/closemoredeals also call us at (561) 570-5077. 

We’d love for you to join us for our next episodes so tune in on Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Stitcher, and Spotify. You can also leave comments, suggestions, and ratings to every episode you listen to. 

You can also read more about sales or listen to audiobooks on Audible and explore this huge online library. Register now to get a free book and a 30-day free trial. 

Audio provided by Free SFX and Bensound. Other songs used in the episodes are as follows: The Organ Grinder written by Bradley Jay Hill, performed by Bright Seed, and Produced by Brightseed and Hill.

Direct download: TSE_1304.mp3
Category:sales prospect, sales opportunity -- posted at: 12:00am EDT

How to Network Your Way into Value 

 

Building your network is an important step in being a success in sales. With a good network, you’re able to network your value. Curt Tueffert is the Vice President of sales development for a large industrial distributor in Houston, Texas.  The company was founded in 1908  is now a multinational publicly traded company with over 200 outside sales. Curt’s job is to manage a small group responsible for developing sales training, sales leadership, and vision casting for the rest of the team. 

 

Curt is also a sales instructor at the University of Houston, an author of two books, and travels across the United States trying to coach people in getting better at sales. He teaches that sales is a work in progress and no two sales are the same. Each sale needs to be approached with curiosity to discover what is needed to build relationships. 

 

Defining networking and value

Curt points out that networking isn’t about the people you know, it’s about the people who know you. You can know 10 people but it’s more important to have 100 people who know you and see you as a source and resource of value. Customers and prospects are the ones who define your value in sales. You expand your network by constant communication and the cadence in which you release information they feel is valuable. This is especially true at this time where we have new rules of engagement in 2020. Now that you have time, this is a great opportunity to enhance and increase your network. 

 

Network your way into value 

Curt shares three ways you can network your way into value:

 

  • Create an organizational chart by knowing who is connected to who in the organization.
  • Who knows you?
  • Increase your influence quotient. 

 

These elements affect your ability to influence other people  using the research you’ve uncovered, and how you barter your information in exchange for information they can provide in turn.  This is what networking is all about. 




The organization chart

Let’s look at a company that has multiple branches of influence. When you build your organizational chart, you may start with one person but you need to know who is above them and below them, who their peers are, and the chain of command.  Ideally, you want to know who is two levels up, two levels across, and two levels deep. Why so much effort?  Let’s use “Greg” as an example. Greg is the person you talk to in the organization and he’s in purchasing, maintenance or the engineer. In the entire organization, you only know Greg, not his peers, the people they report to, or who their leaders are. In the event of lay-off or acquisition where Greg gets replaced, without an organizational chart, that account is lost to you. You need to know who else you can talk to.

 

Salespeople tend to move through the path of least resistance, going to the nicest people or those who accept the gifts. There’s got to be a deeper knowledge of the accounts you’re working with.  If you don’t know all the other players, you’ll be cut out of the loop if the organizational chart changes. However, if  you have taken the time to know Greg, you know that Greg’s boss is Lisa and Lisa’s boss is David. The fact that David knows you will allow you to present your value proposition up your organization chart, across your organization chart, and down your organizational chart. When your number one contact gets promoted up or out of the company, continue to update that network. 

 

It is detrimental for a salesperson to not have an organization chart for his top 10 accounts since these accounts typically represent 90% of your W2. If you lose one of your accounts, you may decrease your W2  by 42%, all because you didn’t take the time to do the heavy lifting on the front end. 

 

Building the connection

Building the connection then and now is different. Your job as a salesperson is to become a detective through social media and to build those relationships in person. If you want to network for value, you’ve got to really know the interests of the people in your organizational chart. When you offer value, you don’t have to track people down. People will come looking for you. 

 

It’s not about the people you know but the people who know you

You can add value by connecting the people who know you to one another. This is beckoning to your network.  What makes people run is illustrated in the book called Appreciation Marketing: How to Achieve Greatness Through Gratitude written by Tommy Hyatt and Curtis Lewsey talks about networking. The book uses the illustration of seven creatures, one of which is the vulture who just perches waiting to suck the life out of people at a social networking event. Another is the narcissist who is only waiting to tell people what they do. Both of these sellers make it all about them.

 

Spend time on social media platforms such as LinkedIn learning about the people in your circles. Be curious about them and collect information that can show you how to add value through their interests. Once you’ve built that relationship then you’ve earned an opportunity to send them unsolicited email or handwritten cards.

 

When you start adding value to the people who know you, it offers more direct access to the people higher in your organization chart. As a salesperson, it’s your job to add customized value to each person in that chart. 

 

Influence quotient

The influence quotient speaks to your ability to influence the people you talk to about the products and services you sell. Regardless of the education you have or the length of experience, when you have a giant network of people who know you, call, email, and contact you for advice or consultation, you know you have a high influence quotient. 

 

If you are a sales leader, you can develop that skill by asking open-ended questions in order to learn about the customers. As you become more educated about their  buying philosophies, ideologies, and techniques, the more you can assert your influence by the time you’re ready to share information about your products and services.

 

For the new salesperson

If you’re a new graduate or new in sales, know it takes time to build your influence, but time doesn’t have to hold you back. You can still ask a lot of questions and give yourself a great head start. 

 

Treat your job as a profession. Sales is hard but just know this is still a people business. It changes all the time so consistently look for ways to perfect your craft by being curious:  About your business, your customer, and how you can solve problems for others. 

 

No two sales are never the same so you just have to keep discovering the process. #SalesProcess



How to Network Your Way into Value” episode resources 

Find Curt Tueffert in LinkedIn or connect with him via his email, tueffert@aol.com

If you are interested in more sales stories, you can talk to Donald directly. Reach him via these channels: LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook about any sales concerns. 

This episode is brought to you in part by Crmble, the easy-peasy CRM for Trello that helps you manage your contacts and leads without investing in complicated solutions, sync all your data, manage custom fields, and get powerful reporting on your sales. Try Crmble now for free at www.crmble.com/tse. This course is also brought to you in part by TSE Certified Sales Training Program. It’s a course designed to help new and struggling sellers to master the fundamentals of sales and close more deals. It will help them elevate their sales game. Sign up now and get the first two modules for free! You can go and visit www.thesalesevangelist.com/closemoredeals also call us at (561) 570-5077. 

We’d love for you to join us for our next episodes so tune in on Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Stitcher, and Spotify. You can also leave comments, suggestions, and ratings to every episode you listen to. 

You can also read more about sales or listen to audiobooks on Audible and explore this huge online library. Register now to get a free book and a 30-day free trial. 

Audio provided by Free SFX and Bensound. Other songs used in the episodes are as follows: The Organ Grinder written by Bradley Jay Hill, performed by Bright Seed, and Produced by Brightseed and Hill.

Direct download: TSE_1303.mp3
Category:Sales Process, Networking -- posted at: 12:00am EDT

How To Partner With Resellers To Experienced Repeatable Sales Growth

 

Sales is not just about growing your customer base but also about partnerships with a variety of people. If you want repeatable sales growth, these partnerships include businesses, other salespeople, and resellers.  

 

Todd Rychecky is the VP of Sales  Americas in Latin America and has been with the company for the past 12 and a half years. Todd got into sales in 1991, when he was studying was pre-med in college but didn’t get in. As a result, he joined the sales force when he was 23 years old and made a huge move from Nebraska to Dallas where he worked for Whitmire Distribution, a drug wholesale company. Later on, the company was acquired by Cardinal Health and Todd continued to work for them, traveling by car, calling on hospital pharmacies, home infusion, retails stores, and retail chains. 

 

Todd never imagined he’d be in sales but his college roommate was very passionate about becoming a salesman and Todd was intrigued by someone who knew they wanted to be in sales. When Todd started his career, he had the chance to work for a sales manager who he still says is one of the best salesmen he’s ever seen. They traveled from hospital to hospital and Todd clearly remembers his sales manager’s sense of urgency. In addition to that, he was also knowledgeable and credible and always conducted business with a big smile on his face.  With this complete package, Todd saw it was hard for anyone to say no. 

 

Starting the sales journey 

Once Todd was on his own, he made his first road trip in a new company car, a car phone that cost 75 cents a minute, and an AT&T calling card. Back then, you could cold call the pharmaceutical companies without setting up an appointment, especially true in rural areas. Fast forward to today and Todd is running the Sales for the Americas. What has contributed to his success is that working for OpenGear, a startup in Australia. They originally had five employees so initially,  Todd had to do everything himself, handling inbound calls and the online chat. He knew that the company needed to win new customers so he was able to practice a variety of styles and approaches in every task and through each customer.  People would often be impressed when they found out they were speaking to the VP of Sales. What they didn’t know was it was just Todd. 

 

Todd’s focus is now on the sales team, the partner channels, executing the sales playbook, their selling strategies, and scaling new talents and resources. 

 

Create your playbook

The first thing you need in order to win is a playbook that you know how to execute. Todd loves to use basketball as an illustration. When you have the ball and there are four guys standing under the basket with their hands open wide, you need to pass the ball. Teammates are important to win the game and it’s also important to stay in your lane. If your job is calling end-users then you call on the end-users. If your job is channel management, then manage the channel. 

 

If everyone on the team can execute a playbook then you and the team will win regardless of what you’re selling. Accountability is critical as well because if team members are not accountable, then nothing gets accomplished. Without accountability, it's difficult to count on one another. 

 

Building the right culture 

Everyone on the team should understand the culture and help to support it. Sales leaders must take the lead in building a good culture within the sales team. Other members will eventually see the benefits of having a good culture and follow from the sales leader setting an example. The goal of a sales leader is to create an environment that makes the team want to follow. 

 

Communication is critical to building a good culture within a team.  Todd and his team are using phone calls, email, texting, and setting up Zoom meetings. Despite the pandemic, there really is no excuse for you not to be able to communicate with the rest of your team. 

 

Buyer’s journey

Todd has noticed a change in the buyer’s journey, especially from today’s technology. Because of the internet, buyers are already 60% of the way to making their decision by the time they get to you. Open Gear is today’s number one brand in its industry. That means they already have 50% of the market share. People who come to buy, already know their name, they know the company’s good track record, and they’ve already checked the competition. Usually, their buyers have already made the decision and want to move on to the next step.

 

As the sales advisor,  meet your customer where they are. If they’re already 60% of the way to buying then help them with the last 40% of the journey by tailoring presentations to where they are.  For example, if Todd sees the buyer is almost ready to buy, he asks about their budget so he knows the appropriate products to suggest. 

 

There’s no hit and run in sales

A common mistake that salespeople make is they win a deal and cut loose. They move on to look for the next win too soon. If you’re not getting new customers, you need to do what Todd calls WDH or go wider, deeper, higher with your customer base.

 

Other big businesses also apply this principle, including Volkswagen. They have several business units under their business units. It’s a matter of widening your reach within your reach.  You can ask your existing clients who else could benefit from your products and services within their organization. You’ll be surprised at how many people your client can introduce you to.

 

The idea of reselling

Todd and his team promote the idea of reselling. They started with a few partners and they have grown to hundreds in numbers. They also have two large distributors in a variety of places including Greenville and these distributors now do the processing for them.  This has greatly streamlined the process. Resellers are critical in the business because it is one of the best ways to scale a company.

 

Todd believes that reselling works for any industry. Having more salespeople working for you extends your reach. You do need to build relationships through trust and that means being available. 

 

Todd’s final piece of advice is If you want people to work for you, you need to make them believe they can achieve anything that you ask them to do. 

 

How To Partner With Resellers To Experienced Repeatable Sales Growth” episode resources 

Reach out to Todd Rychecky via his LinkedIn account. 

If you are interested in more sales stories, you can talk to Donald directly. Reach him via these channels: LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook about any sales concerns. 

This episode is brought to you in part by Crmble, the easy-peasy CRM for Trello that helps you manage your contacts and leads without investing in complicated solutions, sync all your data, manage custom fields, and get powerful reporting on your sales. Try Crmble now for free at www.crmble.com/tse. This course is also brought to you in part by TSE Certified Sales Training Program. It’s a course designed to help new and struggling sellers to master the fundamentals of sales and close more deals. It will help them elevate their sales game. Sign up now and get the first two modules for free! You can go and visit www.thesalesevangelist.com/closemoredeals also call us at (561) 570-5077. 

We’d love for you to join us for our next episodes so tune in on Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Stitcher, and Spotify. You can also leave comments, suggestions, and ratings to every episode you listen to. 

You can also read more about sales or listen to audiobooks on Audible and explore this huge online library. Register now to get a free book and a 30-day free trial. 

Audio provided by Free SFX and Bensound. Other songs used in the episodes are as follows: The Organ Grinder written by Bradley Jay Hill, performed by Bright Seed, and Produced by Brightseed and Hill.

Direct download: TSE_1302.mp3
Category:Sales Journey, Reselling, Sales Culture -- posted at: 12:00am EDT

5 Ways New Sellers Can Sell Like Pros

New sellers struggle because they lack the skills and experience to ask well-crafted questions and build rapport with prospects.  In this episode, Tony Morris talks about the five ways that new sellers can sell like pros. Tony Morris is a speaker for sales conferences around the globe, and an author of several books, a podcaster, and an entrepreneur who runs a sales training business called Tony Morris International. 

 

The 80/20 Law 

Tony believes that sales reps should apply the 80/20 Rule. This means salespeople should listen 80% of the time and speak 20% of the time.  As Tony points out, we have two ears and one mouth so we should use them in that order.  Unfortunately, most salespeople are in fact doing 80/20 but they’re doing it the wrong way round. The first tip for new sellers is to get the customer or prospect to talk more than you. 

 

People generally love to talk about themselves. When you encourage your prospect to talk more, it allows them to become comfortable. As they talk,  you’re able to learn more and build rapport quicker. You do this by asking the right questions and listening with the objective to learn and understand. 

 

Asking the right questions 

Many people ask the wrong questions.  These questions can be answered with yes or no, they don’t provide a lot of insight into the prospect’s journey before meeting with you, and they aren’t personal.  Alternatively, Tony calls the right questions “killer questions.” One example of a killer question is, “What’s the best that you’ve seen so far?” The answer to this question allows you to understand more about what the prospect is looking for, what they’ve seen in your competition, and how you can offer better. 

 

Ask questions that are open, will provoke conversation, and will allow you to share the info your prospect needs. #EffectiveQuestions

 

Sales managers can encourage asking skills in a team meeting.  Start by allowing each person to come up with a topic and then the team has to practice asking open-ended questions about that topic. Going through this process trains the brain to become comfortable asking these questions. The more you do it, the more natural and habitual it becomes. Through this exercise, you’re learning how to hold a conversation, not an interrogation. When you’re comfortable as a sales rep, it allows room for your prospects to get comfortable as well. 

 

Different types of questions 

  • Tag on questions that allow you to go deeper into the answers. 
  • Statement questions help deeper engagement. 
  • Replay questions demonstrate that you are listening.

 

Treat people how they want to be treated

It’s true that The Golden Rule states we should treat people how we want to be treated but in sales, it’s more important to lean into The Platinum rule,  treating people how they want to be treated.  You can’t respond to your clients the same way because they all have different perspectives on how that should look. Your job as a salesperson is to pay attention to the clues your client provides about how they want to be treated and respond effectively. 

 

Be interested, not interesting

Top salespeople are genuinely curious and are sincerely interested in their prospects. Your job is not to sell, but to serve. It’s your job to help a customer buy what is appropriate to their needs. This isn’t just about the quick sale and then moving on to the next prospect. Being genuinely interested will transform regular customers into raving fans who will be the ambassadors that recommend you to their friends, family, and colleagues. 

 

Sales managers can help their team practice being curious by getting into the habit of asking their sales reps to share three things about their potential clients that can’t be easily researched. They will only be able to give detailed and personal information about their prospective clients if they have been genuinely curious.

 

Be The Challenger 

Being The Challenger comes from the book The Challenger Sale: Taking Control of the Customer Conversation by Matthew Dixon. This book challenged Tony’s perspective of sales. Before reading the book, Tony thought that sales were about relationships. However, this book proved that the most successful salespeople are able to share insights to make their prospects think differently. 

 

Tony illustrates The Challenger by sharing a story about how he met with a client and questioned their process. It made the client uncomfortable and he wondered why Tony was asking. Tony responded that the client could greatly improve current practices and proceeded to offer the prospect multiple solutions. The client loved it!  Tony challenged the process that they’d been using for years and was able to provide a fresh perspective that served the needs of his client. Don’t be afraid of challenging the process as long as you can back it up, share value and offer insights to make your prospect think differently, and in their favor. Using The Challenger method helped Tony stand out from the competition.



Do the basics brilliantly

 

We can over-complicate the sales process. The job is to schedule meetings, prepare questions to preempt objections, build rapport, understand the problems, and come up with a solution. These are the basics of sales but most salespeople don’t execute these areas the best they can.  

 

For one thing, salespeople give up too early. Most of them may send a proposal but only follow-up once. If they don’t get hold of the person, they just quit. The reality is, the prospect may be needing to address something more important in their lives than closing a deal, at least for now. With that in mind, there needs to be a commitment that you will offer multiple touchpoints. If you have identified them as genuine prospects and you believe that you can serve them well, then keep going and try different modes of entry. Connect with them on LinkedIn, comment on their post, send them articles of interest, or a copy of your book.  You can also send them a book you find interesting or offer a podcast. Do this so that when they’re ready to buy, you’re the first person on their mind. 

 

Once you know how to do things the right way, you’ll want to keep going. The more you do it and get good results, the more these positive actions become habitual.

 

It’s not just knowledge that gives you power. You have to apply what you’ve learned. Become a student of sales that never graduates. Top performers never stop learning. 

 

5 Ways New Sellers Can Sell Like Pros” episode resources 

Connect with Tony Morris via his LinkedIn and you can also check out his website, Tony Morris International.  

If you are interested in more sales stories, you can talk to Donald directly. Reach him via these channels: LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook about any sales concerns. 

This episode is brought to you in part by Crmble, the easy-peasy CRM for Trello that helps you manage your contacts and leads without investing in complicated solutions, sync all your data, manage custom fields, and get powerful reporting on your sales. Try Crmble now for free at www.crmble.com/tse. This course is also brought to you in part by TSE Certified Sales Training Program. It’s a course designed to help new and struggling sellers to master the fundamentals of sales and close more deals. It will help them elevate their sales game. Sign up now and get the first two modules for free! You can go and visit www.thesalesevangelist.com/closemoredeals also call us at (561) 570-5077. 

We’d love for you to join us for our next episodes so tune in on Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Stitcher, and Spotify. You can also leave comments, suggestions, and ratings to every episode you listen to. 

You can also read more about sales or listen to audiobooks on Audible and explore this huge online library. Register now to get a free book and a 30-day free trial. 

Audio provided by Free SFX and Bensound. Other songs used in the episodes are as follows: The Organ Grinder written by Bradley Jay Hill, performed by Bright Seed, and Produced by Brightseed and Hill.

Direct download: TSE_1301.mp3
Category:Sales Coaching, Improving Skills -- posted at: 12:00am EDT

5 Things I Learn About Sales Doing 1,300 Episodes

It’s been a long and amazing journey for The Sales Evangelist. Content creation and podcasting have been the core of TSE and after 1,300 episodes, there are several lessons that Donald has learned. This episode will be about all the top lessons that have come from producing The Sales Evangelist since starting seven years ago. TSE has now been able to reach halfway around the world and has been mentioned and recognized in some of the most recognized business publications such as Entrepreneur and Forbes.  

 

We all have moments in our lives where we give up an idea. Donald is grateful that he didn’t give up on podcasting even though he came close. Having TSE has allowed him to serve people in sales and by doing so they are better able to navigate the struggles they face in their industry. He summarizes these top lessons in Five Sales Principles:

 

  1. You can’t sell higher than your level of belief.
  2. Nothing happens until you prospect.
  3. Value is in the eye of the beholder.
  4. Zig when everyone is zagging.
  5. Swing for the fences.

 

You can’t sell any higher than your level of belief 

Henry Ford has a very famous quote: “If you think you can do a thing or think you can't do a thing, you're right.” Wayne Gretzky said it this way: “You miss 100% of the shots that you do not take.”  These words all point to the first principle. Donald started this podcast with a desire that later turned into a belief. He began the podcast in April 2013 but realized early on that it was difficult. Luckily, Jared, one of Donald’s friends, invited Donald to his podcast. That experience made Donald believe that he could do podcasts as well and served to remind him how much he loved talking to people himself. 

 

In sales, you cannot succeed until you believe it. The same is true in life. You need to visualize your success. In sales, visualize your success before it even happens. Believe that you can get into pitch with people, close a deal, and be a great seller.  Your belief will cause you to act, lead you down a path of opportunities, and open up a social circle of the people you need to be exposed to. Donald suggests that when you go out to a prospect,  believe you will contact someone. That belief and action will lead you to the inevitable success that you desire. 




Nothing happens until you prospect 

Nothing ever happens until you prospect. The TSE podcasts have invited many successful people to interview and one of the common traits among these successful people is that they took action. This is true for prospecting. Nothing happens until you do something. Donald was working with a client who just released a program; however, it turned out that people didn’t know about her new program.  Even when she announced it to her community, no one actually knew of it. Donald suggested she reach out to her community and to talk to them.

 

It wasn’t until this client started to prospect and call people that she was able to meet her goals. She was actually able to close a deal. This happened because she asked! Too often, sales reps get timid and get worried that people will get mad at them. There’s no truth in that. 

 

The more time that we spend on calling and prospecting people, the more that we’re going to see success. Even an hour or two of dedicated time for prospecting will give you success. Prospecting is not just jumping back and forth doing research. Prospecting is making phone calls, reaching out to people on LinkedIn, or sending out emails to people two hours per day, uninterrupted. Whether you are prospecting in person or calling a client, set a goal, and follow-through. Send out personalized emails in your dedicated prospecting time every day to see success. 

 

Spending 2 hours of dedicated time prospecting correctly guarantees success. #SalesProspecting

 

Value is in the eye of the beholder

A sales rep cannot dictate what value is. The buyer must be the one to dictate, validate, or believe that your product or service is valuable. You start the conversation by personalizing your message. Too many people make their initial contacts too generic. We generalize value propositions to all prospects without any reflection about the prospects’ current situation, needs, and what they might see as valuable. This lack of understanding hinders salespeople from having a breakthrough moment. If you sell a product by focusing on yourself, then your buyers are going to push you away.  Instead, sell a product because the buyer understands you are offering a solution to their problem. That’s when it becomes valuable. You need to look for the problem and position your product as the solution to their problems. 

 

It comes down to personalization, listening, and asking effective questions. Taking the time to do the research will prove invaluable. 

 

The blind side challenge 

In the world of football, a quarterback always has a support system that looks after his blindside. In sales, the prospects are the quarterback and the sales reps are the support system. The prospects have a blindside because they focus on running their business. They don’t often have the opportunity to see far enough ahead and to know challenges are coming their way. 

 

Your research will give you a better understanding of what difficulties your clients may be facing long before they see it. They’ll know you’re protecting their blindside. 

 

Zig when everyone is zagging 

Zigging while others are zagging means that you are doing the opposite of what everyone else is doing. When Donald was starting out in his podcast, he didn’t know how to interview his potential customers in a way that would make him stand out from his colleagues. He learned as he gained more experience. Some of the things he did differently was talking to companies he used to work for. He’d reach out to them for an interview and with each interview, these conversations led to more opportunities for the business. While everyone was just making cold calls, Donald was utilizing social media to get ahead. Donald was zigging while everyone was zagging. 

 

Donald and his colleague also started a blog while they were still sales reps. They would do the prospecting during the day and create content at night. The blog content would be about particular problems their customers were facing. Customers read their content and reached out to them for problem-solving. 

 

As a salesperson, you need to be different from the others. Utilize social media in different ways by thinking outside the box. 

 

Swing for the fences

Salespeople should shoot for doing big things, taking massive action in order to succeed. You may need to do things outside your comfort zone like reaching out to big-name individuals. Have conversations with them and communicate with them. Not all interviews work out but just trying opens up a great exchange that could lead to bigger opportunities in the future. Just focus on defining your ideal customers and though it may be a challenge, it’s only possible if you try.

 

While you’re growing, keep up your podcast, create content, and blog. Donald started out not knowing if he was going to stick with podcasting and now he’s reached his 1, 300th episode. Donald has kept these principles and continues to use them to hone his sales skills and increase his sales performance. Donald continues to increase his expertise as interview experts and as a result, he gets to pass on his knowledge to you. 

 

5 Things I Learn About Sales Doing 1,300 Episodes” episode resources 

Challenge yourself every single day and do big things. 

If you are interested in more sales stories, you can talk to Donald directly. Reach him via these channels: LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook about any sales concerns. 

This episode is brought to you in part by Crmble, the easy-peasy CRM for Trello that helps you manage your contacts and leads without investing in complicated solutions, sync all your data, manage custom fields, and get powerful reporting on your sales. Try Crmble now for free at www.crmble.com/tse. This course is also brought to you in part by TSE Certified Sales Training Program. It’s a course designed to help new and struggling sellers to master the fundamentals of sales and close more deals. It will help them elevate their sales game. Sign up now and get the first two modules for free! You can go and visit www.thesalesevangelist.com/closemoredeals also call us at (561) 570-5077. 

We’d love for you to join us for our next episodes so tune in on Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Stitcher, and Spotify. You can also leave comments, suggestions, and ratings to every episode you listen to. 

You can also read more about sales or listen to audiobooks on Audible and explore this huge online library. Register now to get a free book and a 30-day free trial. 

Audio provided by Free SFX and Bensound. Other songs used in the episodes are as follows: The Organ Grinder written by Bradley Jay Hill, performed by Bright Seed, and Produced by Brightseed and Hill.

Direct download: TSE_1300.mp3
Category:TSE, Sales Podcast, Sales Principles -- posted at: 12:00am EDT

Keys to Making the Sales Process ENJOYABLE for You and the Customer

 

The sales process is a journey that can vary in the amount of time invested. Regardless of how long it takes, it’s within your control to make it enjoyable for you and the customer!  

 

Tasha Smith is with Emerge Sales Training and they help entrepreneurs become great at selling. Their goal is to make the journey enjoyable for both the sellers and their customers. Tasha’s company wants to ensure that the selling experience is in line with the sellers’ values and personalities. They offer one-on-one coaching with entrepreneurs to figure out what their best offers are, how to unlock their superpowers, and how they can communicate in an honorable way. They call it good human sales. 

 

Unfortunately, not all salespeople are selling with the buyers’ best intentions. Some are tricking them into a one-sided experience where they win and the buyers don’t. However, when you’re selling for the benefit of the consumer, then you elevate the transaction for you and them. 

 

Leveling the playing field 

As a salesperson, ask yourself this question, “What is it about the sales process that makes it unenjoyable?”  When Tasha coaches a new client, they start with the opposite of what they want to create and then reverse engineer the process backwards. There are several reasons why a sales transaction can be unenjoyable:

 

  • The customer feels like there’s going to be a bait and switch.
  • The customer feels the pressure to buy.
  • The decision to move forward feels confusing and overwhelming.
  • The process is boring.
  • The customer has to work really hard at connecting the dots.

 

Your job as the salesperson is to keep these things from happening and making it a great experience for the customer.  If it’s great for the customer, it’s great for you. 

 

When you stick with your morals and beliefs during selling, you and the buyer both win. #SalesWin

 

Tasha has some tips on how to make the sales process enjoyable. To begin, we need to make our sales process customer-centric. The goal is to have high conversion but in a way that feels more effortless because you’re both having fun. The dictionary’s definition of
“close” is “unite.” We need to start thinking about what our customers would prefer the interaction to look like. If they like how the conversation goes, then they are more likely to engage and convert higher. Customers are more responsive if they see you as a stable individual, trustworthy individual who offers hope.  

 

Set up an appointment

 

Setting up an appointment is a very common step in the sales process but the details can often be overlooked. Salespeople can get caught up in closing with speed because they don’t want to lose a sale. The downside to this is that we can overwhelm a potential customer or miss critical details. Our sales process should be more consent-based.  We need to ask our customers if they would be interested in meeting, if our product sounds helpful, and if they’d be open to moving toward a solution to their problems.  We need to go beyond just pulling out our appointment book and filling a time slot.  

 

Putting in a little extra effort is a great step in earning your customer’s trust. Your job as a salesperson is to guide them and to give them the control to purchase. Giving someone the choice to say no makes them feel better and they are more likely to stick around until the end of the sales process. This simple shift  can send a closing percentage through the roof because you’ve removed the stress from the customer. 

 

Restate the agenda

Let your customer know how much time you’re expecting to be with them and stick to it unless the customer wants to talk longer. Make sure you ask your customer if the amount of time is acceptable. Let your customer know you’ll be talking about your company and going over your most popular packages and offerings. If the customers like what you have to say, they are likely going to move forward through the sales process but assure them they get to make that decision in their time frame. . 

 

By this point, you’ve eliminated the fear of risk for your customer. Through this process you’ve offered trust, compassion, stability, and hope which are all qualities people are looking for in a transaction.  Sales reps don’t just sell products.  You’re leaders and problem solvers. 

 

Discovery process 

The discovery process can feel like an interrogation and that leads to an unenjoyable experience. Even when it’s a well-meaning person who is trying to get to know you, it feels like whatever they ask is going to be used as ammunition. Many sales trainers even call discovery questions “bullets in the gun.”  Who wants to do business on the receiving end of that?  Sales reps need to remember that the purpose of discovery questions is to personalize the experience for the customer. We need to be able to connect the dots for the customer and to make it easy for them to see how the transaction works. Make sure the questions are first and foremost clarifying for the client. 

 

Answering questions can get boring unless the right questions are being asked.  For example, if your product will help their health, ask about their health goals, their goals for their families, and discover what they’ve already done to meet those goals. Ask them what they know about your company so you’re not repeating information they already know. Then, offer a solution that will impact their quality of life. People don’t move forward because they want a better life. 

 

Personalize the features and benefits

Now that you know their goals and how your services are going to impact their overall quality of life, personalize the features and benefits. Do this by offering “have you ever” scenarios. Find that common ground that allows for an easier conversation. When it’s easy, both of you feel energized and you can respond in ways that are relevant to your customer’s needs because both of you have the ability to pay attention. The harder the conversation, the less mental bandwidth you have in listening and being present in the moment. 

 

As a salesperson, it is important to prepare your mind before you talk to people. When Tasha starts her day, she thinks, “Whose prayers can I answer today?” It feels good to be the answer to someone’s prayer. It is important to have fun, and convey that you’re enjoying what you’re doing. Your confidence, belief, and enthusiasm can be contagious so let others experience the fun too! Be a person who is enjoyable to interact with.  The more enjoyable we are, the better we are going to be in sales.  You can be a good person and be successful too. 

 

Keys to Making the Sales Process ENJOYABLE for You and the Customer” episode resources 

If you want the template, you can go to emergesalestraining.com/sep or you can email at tasha@emergesalestraining.com and she’ll respond in person. 

If you are interested in more sales stories, you can talk to Donald directly. Reach him via these channels: LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook about any sales concerns. 

This episode is brought to you in part by Crmble, the easy-peasy CRM for Trello that helps you manage your contacts and leads without investing in complicated solutions, sync all your data, manage custom fields, and get powerful reporting on your sales. Try Crmble now for free at www.crmble.com/tse. This course is also brought to you in part by TSE Certified Sales Training Program. It’s a course designed to help new and struggling sellers to master the fundamentals of sales and close more deals. It will help them elevate their sales game. Sign up now and get the first two modules for free! You can go and visit www.thesalesevangelist.com/closemoredeals also call us at (561) 570-5077. 

We’d love for you to join us for our next episodes so tune in on Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Stitcher, and Spotify. You can also leave comments, suggestions, and ratings to every episode you listen to. 

You can also read more about sales or listen to audiobooks on Audible and explore this huge online library. Register now to get a free book and a 30-day free trial. 

Audio provided by Free SFX and Bensound. Other songs used in the episodes are as follows: The Organ Grinder written by Bradley Jay Hill, performed by Bright Seed, and Produced by Brightseed and Hill.

Direct download: TSE_1299.mp3
Category:Sales Process -- posted at: 12:00am EDT

Three Things I Learn From Jordan's Last Dance To Dominate Sales

 

Donald Kelly’s knowledge has come from a variety of sources -- books, podcasts, training, sales seminars, documentaries, and more recently, the docuseries, Michael Jordan’s Last Dance. The natural seller in Donald caught key principles from the series that will help salespeople to dominate sales. 

 

The Last Dance is a docuseries featuring the last year Michael Jordan was with the Chicago Bulls. It’s a revealing 10-part series that shows why Michael Jordan is one of the best basketball players of all time.  As Donald watched, he could see the lessons that are revealed are applicable to Donald in every role: as a father, a husband, a business owner, and as a sales professional. Here are the top takeaways for Donald from the Last Dance series: 

 

  • Have a win-at-all-cost mentality
  • You need a mindset and belief system of success 
  • Be a perfectionist in the details

 

Win-at-all-cost mentality

To Michael Jordan, a win-at-all-cost mentality, meant he didn’t let it enter his mind that he could miss a shot. His only focus was getting the ball into the basket every time. While he did miss shots in the span of his career, he was able to make critical shots because it didn’t occur to him that he wouldn’t. 

 

If you want to achieve greatness, this is the mentality you need to master. Within ethical and legal boundaries, what are you willing to do?  Will you dare to believe you can’t miss a shot? 

 

Michael Jordan was willing to put in the work. His mindset allowed him to give his best and practice hard. He was willing to work longer than anyone else, learn from the best, and he could adapt to new strategies in order to take him to greater heights of success. 

 

How does this apply to sales?

More often than not, sales reps desire success but  don’t truly believe that they can achieve their goals. Not everyone does what it takes to achieve the success they want. If you want to be the best in the team and excel in sales, however, then you may have to reevaluate the level of effort you’re willing to show up for. Thoroughly understand the products and services you’re selling,  understand the profile of your client and know how to find them. Make it your goal to study the clients’ industry, learn the trends, and know what’s going on in the industry, making sure that you are updated with the trade policies. Don’t stop learning even when you think you’ve been taught everything you need to know. 

 

There have been many good basketball players over the years but only a few of them turned great because so many settled. Shaquille O’Neal was a good player who could have been great but he’s admitted to being lazy. He could have become one of the best in the history of basketball but he limited his efforts. Jordan aspired to be the greatest and he was willing to do whatever it took. 

.

As a salesperson or a business owner, you must be willing to do whatever it takes to make sure you close the deal. This may include traveling long distances or working hours that don’t fit into a normal day. Do this with Jordan’s mindset:  You’re going to make every shot.  Even if you don’t, with a great mindset, you’ve shifted the odds in your favor. 

 

Mindset of success

 

Michael Jordan has a mindset of success and this reflects a high level of toughness. He let this mindset dictate his level of fitness and gameplay, leading to multiple championships. He was able to overcome his opponents and defeat them. 

 

As a salesperson

If you want to be the best, mental toughness is also needed in sales. Jordan didn’t win every game he played. In sales, you won’t land every presentation or close every deal. A tough mindset allows you to show up even when you’ve experienced defeat. Don’t worry about the losses.  Let it be an opportunity to think of all the ways you can improve. A great mindset doesn’t blame others but focuses on how you can show up better next time. 

 

Turning the wheel 

Do not let the lost deal affect your next call and don’t let negativity become part of the conversation. It’s a slippery slope when you allow interactions with new clients to be influenced by previous losses, especially when you blame others for losing a deal. Instead of pointing fingers, re-evaluate and assess how you can do better next time. 

 

Jordan was also keen on learning from other players. Who is the best in your industry? These are the people you want to learn from them and emulate. If you can’t find a person, seek out the books that resonate with you.  Just keep learning.

 

Aim for perfection 

Look for perfection in the details. Evaluate your calls, look at how you describe your products, and think about how you phrase a message. Other areas to consider include: 

 

  • How you write and send emails
  • Look at how you take notes and recap 
  • How are you writing and updating the CRM
  • Are you engaged on LinkedIn

 

All these little details will help you in the long run. 

 

Do whatever it takes, have a strong mindset, and be perfect in the details. #TheLastDance

 

Paying the cost

Jordan sacrificed popularity among his teammates to achieve his success. Being competitive in sales means some people aren’t going to like you too. Don’t worry about a popularity contest and just do your very best. Keep doing what you need to do to improve. 

 

Donald himself doesn’t worry about whether or not his competitors like him.  He gets the work done.  He also doesn’t sacrifice his family time but he does work late at night and early in the morning while honing his craft throughout the work day.

 

Regardless of whether Jordan was well liked, his teammates knew he pushed the team forward and upward. You can be that catalyst for positive change on your team as well. Be an example of ethical conduct and hard work and everyone wins.  Just remember being the best isn’t the same as being popular. 

 

Three Things I Learned From Jordan's Last Dance In Order To Dominate Sales” episode resources 

 

If you are interested in more sales stories, you can talk to Donald directly. Reach him via these channels: LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook about any sales concerns. 

This episode is brought to you in part by Crmble, the easy-peasy CRM for Trello that helps you manage your contacts and leads without investing in complicated solutions, sync all your data, manage custom fields, and get powerful reporting on your sales. Try Crmble now for free at www.crmble.com/tse. This course is also brought to you in part by TSE Certified Sales Training Program. It’s a course designed to help new and struggling sellers to master the fundamentals of sales and close more deals. It will help them elevate their sales game. Sign up now and get the first two modules for free! You can go and visit www.thesalesevangelist.com/closemoredeals also call us at (561) 570-5077. 

We’d love for you to join us for our next episodes so tune in on Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Stitcher, and Spotify. You can also leave comments, suggestions, and ratings to every episode you listen to. 

You can also read more about sales or listen to audiobooks on Audible and explore this huge online library. Register now to get a free book and a 30-day free trial. 

Audio provided by Free SFX and Bensound. Other songs used in the episodes are as follows: The Organ Grinder written by Bradley Jay Hill, performed by Bright Seed, and Produced by Brightseed and Hill.

Direct download: TSE_1298.mp3
Category:Sales success, mental toughness, sales story -- posted at: 12:00am EDT

How to Land Your First Sales Job With No Previous Experience

 

A loaded resume is important to many employers but when you’re brand new, how do you land your first sales job without any experience? In this episode, we’re going to learn how to jump the line even before your first close.

 

Mitchell Earl had his life planned out; however, a year into college, everything changed for him. He got involved in a startup that took off in his sophomore year of college. It started with a small team over the course of three years, the company grew to thousands of people. Working for the startup early on allowed him to work many different positions within the company.

 

Mitchell eventually met the founder of Praxis and quickly became a valuable member of the team. Mitchell is now the COO. Praxis helps people take the first steps into the real world whether their clients are fresh out of high school, college, or they’ve left school before graduation. The goal is to help them begin their first careers, many of which are in sales. 

 

Starting your career fresh from school 

Sales is one of the entry points where people care less about credentials and more about someone’s ability to learn quickly, be coachable, and handle rejection.

 

Before you set out, know what you want. For new graduates, you’ve already chosen a path and that’s great. Oftentimes, however, people get stuck because they can’t figure out what it is they want to do next. 

 

Show your value

One of the best ways to impress a potential employer is to show how you can be valuable to the company.  As a salesperson, an important skill is to be able to capture someone's attention.. To do that, you need to stop doing what everyone else is doing. Stand out by differentiating yourself.  Once you’ve gotten their attention, secure your place by continuing to prove your value. 

 

To do this, Mitchell uses a personal pitch deck and a project. For example, you can do preliminary research by going to a company’s website. Figuring out who their buyers are and how you can participate in problem solving. Build your prospects list and with all this information, document your methodology so it’s duplicatable. 

 

A pitch deck explains who you are, why you love their company, and how you can help with the problems. This is where you get the opportunity to present thoughtful solutions that show how you can be of value to the company. It should reflect that you know who their customers are. Taking this level of care in your presentation will help you stand out from others.  

 

Keeping their focus 

Employers will look at your experience. That’s a given. When you haven’t gotten the chance to build your experience, however, be prepared for questions regarding the value you bring without any back up to your claims. Remember, when you don’t have the experience, effort is your best friend. Let your interviewer know you are willing to show up earlier or stay later than everybody else.. They need to understand you are willing to perfect your craft and learn quickly. Give them all the reasons they need to give you a shot.

 

Also remember everything is up for negotiation. Don’t assume that the rules of the job exclude you because the moment you do, you remove a way to create that opportunity for yourself. 

 

Address your weaknesses head on

In an interview it’s typical to be asked about your weaknesses. The best thing to do is to attack your weakness head-on before they even ask.  Address the elephant in the room immediately and build trust at the same time.

 

Part of what makes a  great salesperson is the ability to handle objections. As you talk about your weaknesses, you’re also able to share how you’ve overcome these low points. Being able to talk about your weaknesses and the way you’ve moved through them shows potential employers you have self-awareness and grit. This also helps you control the narrative. 

 

Don’t let the first no stop you. Handle those objections. This is what salespeople do. #HandleObjection

 

More tips from Mitchell 

It may be that you don’t get hired on your first interview.  That’s okay. Give yourself the best chance by going back to Mitchell’s tips. Build a portfolio of sales projects, build your prospecting lists, and look at different ways you can approach a variety of companies. Also, don’t be afraid to ask for a referral from a company who doesn’t hire you. They may know another company who is looking for someone exactly like you. Just don’t let the first no stop you. Handle those objections. This is what salespeople do. 

 

How to Land Your First Sales Job Even With No Experience” episode resources 

Connect with Mitchell Earl via his LinkedIn account and Twitter. 

If you are interested in more sales stories, you can talk to Donald directly. Reach him via these channels: LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook about any sales concerns. 

This episode is brought to you in part by Crmble, the easy-peasy CRM for Trello that helps you manage your contacts and leads without investing in complicated solutions, sync all your data, manage custom fields, and get powerful reporting on your sales. Try Crmble now for free at www.crmble.com/tse. This course is also brought to you in part by TSE Certified Sales Training Program. It’s a course designed to help new and struggling sellers to master the fundamentals of sales and close more deals. It will help them elevate their sales game. Sign up now and get the first two modules for free! You can go and visit www.thesalesevangelist.com/closemoredeals also call us at (561) 570-5077. 

We’d love for you to join us for our next episodes so tune in on Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Stitcher, and Spotify. You can also leave comments, suggestions, and ratings to every episode you listen to. 

You can also read more about sales or listen to audiobooks on Audible and explore this huge online library. Register now to get a free book and a 30-day free trial. 

Audio provided by Free SFX and Bensound. Other songs used in the episodes are as follows: The Organ Grinder written by Bradley Jay Hill, performed by Bright Seed, and Produced by Brightseed and Hill.

Direct download: TSE_1297.mp3
Category:Sales Career, Sales Path -- posted at: 12:00am EDT

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